The six New Orleans locations of VooDoo are among the most convenient and reliable vendors of real barbecue in the area. The menu is more extensive than those of most other barbecue joints, and they make four excellent sauces in different styles. Although some of the barbecue is less than thrilling (there's never quite enough smoke flavor and crusty "bark" for my tastes), the food impresses me more with every visit.
VooDoo BBQ was a spinoff, in 2002, of the short-lived Hyde Park Grill, an upscale steakhouse on St. Charles Avenue (where Zea is now). The owners started VooDoo in the old McKenzie's on the corner of St. Charles and Martin Luther King, and set up a major smokehouse operation a block away. It has now grown into a chain with over fifty locations around the country. The original St. Charles Avenue VooDoo seems to be golden.
Each location is a little different, but all have assisted self-service (you order and pay at the counter and fetch your own drinks, then they bring the food to you). The St. Charles Avenue VooDoo is the most cramped; the one in Mandeville the most spacious.
Brisket is the best of the offerings. Chicken--available in three different styles--is better than in most barbecue shops. Get extra sides; the corn pudding and the greens are especially tasty.
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